Sen. John EdwardsBroughton High SchoolRaleigh, N.C.March 3, 2004[text of remarks as provided
by the campaign]

It's good to be home!

Thank you all so much for being here. I have never loved my country
more than I do today. You know, the truth is, all my life, America has
smiled at me and today I am smiling right back!

More than anything, I love the American people. The people I have listened
to; the people I have embraced, the people who made me laugh, inspired
me, inspired you. People who made me think. People who have made me reach.

And today, I see their faces. I see the faces of the men and women who
worked in the mill in Robbins, North Carolina—the mill my father worked
in, the mill I worked in. I can picture their faces as clear as they are
in front of me right now, lint in their hair an grease on their faces,
men and women who represent the best of what America is.

They went to work day after day, decade after decade in the mill because
they believed that if they worked hard and did what was right, they could
build a better life for themselves and their families.

I see the faces of the workers at Tower Automotive in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
They are wondering where do they go after the doors to their factory close?
What do they do? Have they not done the right things in America? Have they
not worked hard, been responsible, raised their kids? Where do they go
now and will they have a president and an administration who understands
their lives and who will stand up for them?

I see the faces of the young men and women that I met in Afghanistan,
at night. They are proud of their country, proud of serving their country,
but worried about their families back home. They are worried about what
would happen when they went back.

I see the men and women at Page Belting in Concord, New Hampshire who
wonder if anyone understands the struggles that they face and most Americans
face every day in their lives.

And I also see the earnest, young, wise faces from central high school
in Des Moines to Pomona College in California. Young people, looking desperately
for inspiration—looking for someone who will lift them up, make them believe
again that in our America, with their help, with their energy, and their
enthusiasm, everything is possible.

Most of all I see all these faces, turning from skepticism and despair
to inspiration and hope, because they believe in this country. They believe
in themselves and they know that you and I together are going to change
this country, and build one America that works for all of us.

It has been my greatest honor to have walked with you. From the beginning,
this has never been my campaign. This has been your campaign. And I am
blessed to have been a part of it. And I'm also blessed to be back here
at Broughton High School with so many friends and family, members of my
community.

Today I've decided to suspend my campaign for the presidency of the
United States.

But I want to say a word about a man who is a friend of mine, somebody
who I believe has great strength and great courage, my friend Senator John
Kerry. He has fought for and will continue to fight for the things that
all of us believe in: more jobs, better health care, cleaner air, cleaner
water, a safer world. The truth is these are the causes of our party, the
Democratic Party. They are the causes of America. And they are the reasons
we will prevail, come November, and take back this country.

You know, it wasn't very long ago that all the pundits and pollsters
said, by the time we get to “Super Tuesday,” there won't be a John even
competing much less fighting for the nomination. And we proved those pundits
and pollsters wrong and we are going to prove them all wrong come November
when we take back this country.

And I want to say a personal word about my friend John Kerry, who I
know very well. This is a man who from the time he served this country
courageously in Vietnam, and all the way through this campaign, is a man
who is a fighter. I know him. I saw what we went through in November, December,
and back in the summer when everyone said he didn't have a chance. But
he showed the strength, resilience, and courage that he has shown his entire
life when he fought for us and for our country in Vietnam. He has fought
just as hard throughout this campaign.

The truth of the matter is that John Kerry has what it takes, right
here in his heart, to be president of the United States. And I for one,
intend to do everything in my power to make him the next president of the
United States, and I ask you to join me in this cause. For our country,
for our America!

Somewhere in America a little boy or little girl plays on a sandy lot.
It might be in a mill village like where I played. It might be in a barrio,
or on a farm, or it might be a vacant lot on a city. We want that child
to have big dreams about what he or she can do, where he or she can go.

In this great country, all things should be possible for that child--
as they have been for me.

As I leave this stage today, I leave it to you to make certain that
in our American, our children can prosper and dream. This cause, this challenge
to change America, belongs to you. You should not step back. You should
step up.

It is up to you to make certain that in our American, our children can
prosper and reach and dream.

It is up to you to choose a president who will end our two Americas
so that every child can have the same chance I had.

It is up to you to make sure that the 35 million Americans living in
poverty are never ignored again.

It is up to you to make this generation the generation that grows up
in an America that is no longer divided by race.

It is up to you to demand a campaign that is about attacking people’s
problems, not politicians attacking one another.

Those of you who cast your votes for me cast your votes for a new kind
of politics. You wanted a positive campaign and you got one for a change.

I couldn’t ask for better company today. With the love of my life by
my side. To have your life blessed with four beautiful children, and family
and friends, you couldn’t ask for anything more.

To my staff and my supporters, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
I will never forget all of your hard work and all that you did to help
change your country. To everyone who gave their time, their heart, and
their soul to this campaign, thank you. You deserve nothing short of a
huge round of applause!

Like most Americans, in my life, I have learned two great lessons: one
that there will always be heartache and struggle, and two, that people
of strong will can make a difference. One lesson is sad, and the other
is inspiring. And what makes us Americans is that we choose to be inspired

We can change America so that the America I love, the America you love
can be again that bright, shining star, that beacon that stirs our hearts
when we hear our anthem or see our flag. We can make it so. We are greater
and stronger than anything that stands between us and that destiny.

We should never settle for less than our highest aspirations in our
leaders and for our country. Because we are America - where all things
are possible.